The present disclosure relates to heat removal systems, and more particularly to improved operation of a piezo fan device used for heat removal in an information handling system (‘IHS’).
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to acquire, process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. The information handling system (‘IHS’) generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, entertainment, and/or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The phenomenon of piezo electricity, which is well known, generally refers to the generation of surface charges in response to stresses applied to certain types of crystals. In a piezo electric device, a voltage applied across its pair of terminals induces stress in the device, thereby causing displacement and/or bending. Similarly, a mechanical stress applied to a crystal or sensor in the device results in generating an electric charge across the pair of terminals. A piezo electric fan is a well known device that is based on piezo electricity. Presently, many varieties and sizes of the piezo electric fan are commercially available and may be used in a heat removal system.
FIG. 1A illustrates a view in perspective of a simple cantilever style piezo electric fan 100, according to prior art. FIG. 1B illustrate various views of the piezo electric fan shown in FIG. 1A, according to prior art. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the piezo electric 100 includes a flexible thin blade 110 typically made of mylar or plastic material. The blade 110 is affixed to a portion of piezo ceramic crystal assembly 120. The remaining portion of the piezo ceramic crystal assembly 120 is affixed to a base 130. In an exemplary, non-depicted embodiment, the base 130 may be removably clamped with a clamping structure. The piezo electric fan 100 includes a pair of terminals 140 for providing coupling to an electrical input or output. When an electrical signal such as an alternating current (AC) signal is applied between the terminals 140, the AC signal causes the piezo ceramic crystal assembly 120 to bend/elongate, thereby causing the blade 110 to swing between a first position 112 and a second position 114. The swinging or rapid flapping motion of the blade 110 (like a hummingbird) generates an airflow, which may be used for heat removal.
Presently, the performance and efficiency of the piezo electric fan 100 may vary depending on various factors such as physical characteristics of the blade (e.g., blade length, blade weight), clamping technique, characteristics of the electrical signal such as frequency and amplitude, variations in the fan manufacturing process and similar others. For example, a piezo electric fan 100 designed to remove heat and fit into specific dimensions of a hand-held IHS system, may be energy inefficient and may provide a reduced airflow volume when used with a standard 120 VAC, 60 hertz and/or 220 VAC, 50 hertz input signal.
Therefore, a need exists to improve the performance and the efficiency of the piezo electric fan. More specifically, a need exists to develop tools and techniques that are adaptable for optimizing the performance of the piezo electric fans having varying dimensions and characteristics. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for selectively tuning the performance of the piezo electric fan included in an IHS, absent the disadvantages discussed above.